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Sunday Old School: U.D.O.

It seems a common trait in metal music is that if a popular frontman leaves a well known group, he (or indeed she,) will form a new band named after themselves, rather than simply using their full name. Dio is one of the best known examples of this, and King Diamond of Mercyful Fate is another, with the trend continuing to this day with Immortal frontman Abbath Doom Occulta, forming his own band, Abbath. Another of the more popular acts to be founded in such a way, was done so in "the city of blades," Solingen, Germany, by the German singer, Udo Dirkschneider, who christened his new group, U.D.O.

Dirkschneider had made his name in the eighties as the gruff frontman for Accept, a pioneer of the speed metal sound and one of Germany’s most popular heavy metal groups, but in 1987, he expressed his desire to go solo, which he did with the blessing of his bandmates. He put together a lineup which included Warlock bass player Frank Rittel, as well as guitarists Mathias Dieth of Sinner and Peter Szigeti, along with drummer Thomas Franke and the quintet recorded their debut album, "Animal House," which was actually written for Dirkschneider by Accept as a goodbye present. It was very well received by fans, if not all critics, and the band took to the road to promote the album, performing with the likes of Lita Ford and Guns N Roses, who were riding high on the success of, "Appetite for Destruction."

By the time U.D.O. returned to the studio, three members had been replaced, with Rittel, Franke and Peter Szigeti having their positions taken by Thomas Smuszynski, Stefan Schwarzmann and Andy Susemihl, respectively. Despite the changes, the band continued where they left off by recording "Mean Machine," a second record of stellar heavy metal which once again pleased the listeners. It was followed a year later with the 1990 album, "Faceless World," a record which was a little slower than many of the other albums Dirkschneider had appeared on, but was nevertheless a success, as was their next album, "Timebomb," a more speed metal affair that every U.D.O. fan wants or demands to have in their collection, often being compared favourably to the excellent Judas Priest album, "Painkiller."

Like "Painkiller," "Timebomb" was to present the end of a chapter for the band, as Dirkschneider opted to take part in an Accept reunion in 1992. The reformation lasted three albums, "Objection Overruled," "Death Row" and "Predator" before the group split up and the singer naturally brought back U.D.O. Dirkschneider brought in an entirely new lineup, including long time Accept drummer Stefan Kaufmann, who joined as a guitarist and they released their first album in six years, "Solid." The record was promoted by the singles, "Two Faced Woman" and "Independence Day" and a year later, U.D.O. released their sixth album, "No Limits," which featured a cover of the Supermax song, "Love Machine," which was released as a single, as well a new version of, "I’m a Rebel," an unreleased AC/DC song which was previously recorded by Accept.

"No Limits" was very well received by fans, as was their next album, "Holy," which garnered critical acclaim and was compared to the classic Accept album, "Balls to the Wall." The success prompted a massive world tour which resulted in the band’s first live album, "Live from Russia," a two disc set which contained several Accept staples. Despite the recent success and praise, the next album, "Man and Machine" received a mixed response, although the title track and "Private Eye" were well received and the album also featured the duet with Doro Pesch, "Dancing with an Angel."

Things got better with the 2004 album, "Thunderball," the title of which was taken from the James Bond novel and movie of the same name, with Dirkschneider striking a similar pose to Sean Connery’s promo pictures on the cover. It drew comparisons to "Timebomb," while the following album, "Mission No. X," was compared to "No Limits," though critics weren’t particularly impressed with the two albums, fans still seemed to enjoy them, particularly the latter. Critics were won back with their next album however, the 2007 release, "Mastercutor," which was considered a return to form for U.D.O. and interest in the band was increased further with Dirkschneider appearing on the Lordi album, "The Arockalypse."

The follow up to "Mastercutor," "Dominator," was also received very well and hit very respectable chart positions in Finland and Sweden, as well as reaching the number twenty seven in their native Germany. Two years later, the band released, "Rev-Raptor," another acclaimed album which on limited edition copies featured a tribute to the famous Wacken Open Air festival with the song, "Heavy Metal W.O.A." as well as the successful single, "Leatherhead." It marked another closed chapter for the band, as Stefan Kaufmann left the group following the album’s release due to health concerns, having previously having left Accept for similar reasons.

In the absence of Kaufmann, U.D.O. continued as a quartet and released their next album, "Steelhammer" in 2013, which also marked their first album without guitarist Igor Gianola since, "No Limits," with Andrey Smirnov handling the guitar duties on the record. It was another very well received release and soon after, the band hired a new second guitarist Kasperi Heikkinen, who had previously performed with Amberian Dawn and German power metal legends, Gamma Ray, though he didn’t stay long enough to take part in the recording of their next album, "Decadent," which was released at the beginning of this year. With a constant stream of great albums over the past ten years and a solid back catalogue, U.D.O. will serve as proof that there is lightning can strike twice.

U.D.O. - "They Want War"

U.D.O. - "Break the Rules"

U.D.O. - "Heart of Gold"

U.D.O. - "Timebomb"

U.D.O. - "Independence Day"

U.D.O. - "Azrael"

U.D.O. featuring Doro - "Dancing With An Angel"

U.D.O. - "Thunderball"

U.D.O. - "The Wrong Side of Midnight"

U.D.O. - "Leatherhead"